Today I am going to show you three great upper body exercises (with variations) that you can try without a gym membership. All you need to do this workout is a little warrior spirit and a park with some monkey bars and/or a jungle gym area. You can get creative with where you choose to work out as long as you get it done. With springtime (hopefully) around the corner… Continue reading

Body Weight Exercises, Strength and Conditioning

After a hard workout, you might be dreading the soreness which will inevitably ensue over the next 24-48 hours. Your instinct could be to take the next day off from exercising altogether. Not so fast! Active recovery allows you to keep the momentum in terms of your fitness AND can potentially decrease the lactic acid build-up that's partially to blame for muscle soreness. Instead of taking the day… Continue reading

Running, Strength and Conditioning

Whether you are training for strength or endurance, you won't get the best results unless you push your body to the limit. Failure training means that you take your muscle to the point where it physically cannot perform another rep--the point where your arms are visibly shaking as you desperately try to squeeze out your last push-up. I love training body weight exercises like dips and Australian pull-ups to failure… Continue reading

Inspirational, Strength and Conditioning

Interval training is often touted as the best way to burn fat and expend high amounts of energy during a workout. It is also great for people who don't feel that they have a lot of time to devote to fitness. A high intensity interval training session (sometimes called HIIT) can be completed in under 30 minutes. HIIT alternates between rounds of high intensity exercise immediately followed… Continue reading

Running, Strength and Conditioning

If you've been keeping up with me, then you're probably already aware that it doesn't take much equipment to get a great workout. People in the know have been doing "caveman workouts" in parks and playgrounds for years, mostly going unnoticed, until recently. Now the idea of keeping it paleolithic is starting to catch on--and not just in New York. Last week, an Italian reporter got a hold… Continue reading

Strength and Conditioning

I'm all about efficiency when it comes to strength training and core work is no exception. Hence, the wood chop--it works your obliques, abs, and many other muscles throughout your body all at the same time! There are many different names for this exercise, but I like to call it the wood chop. Why? Simple--the movement reminds me of swinging an ax at a tree (not… Continue reading

Strength and Conditioning

Editors Note: Click the words Human Flag Training for a newer, more thorough post on this topic. The human flag is one the greatest tests of strength known to mankind. Some people would see that as something to shy away from. I see it as a challenge! The textbook form for a human flag involves keeping your arms straight and you body parallel to the ground. Like this guy. On… Continue reading

Body Weight Exercises, Strength and Conditioning

Anyone can get tickets, but if you want to be IN the gun show, you gotta earn it! Biceps The biceps curl is one of the most popular and famous exercises that there is, but that doesn't mean that it's the most efficient. Personally, I prefer compound exercises like pull-ups and rows. Funny thing is, if you do pull-ups or rows, you're already doing bicep curls. Think… Continue reading

Strength and Conditioning

Getting pregnant is not an excuse to sit on the couch for nine months and stuff your face with nachos and pickles. You should be exercising regularly regardless of pregnancy, but women who are pregnant have even more incentive to work out. Exercise makes your body function more efficiently, and I can't think of a time when that should be a higher priority for a woman than while she is pregnant. Having a… Continue reading

Inspirational, Strength and Conditioning

Did you know that jumping rope is a plyometric exercise? Well, if you haven't jumped rope since you were a kid, you might be surprised by how challenging it can be. In fact, I think it's one of the best forms of cardio conditioning out there--way better than the eliptical trainer. You can probably expect to get winded and feel uncoordinated the first time you try jumping rope for cardio… Continue reading

Strength and Conditioning